When I was 20 I got engaged to a wonderful guy.
When I was 21 I graduated from Penn, got married, and moved to New Jersey, where we became first-time homeowners of a little condo that I still miss to this day.
When I was 22, after a number of somewhat depressing temp agency stints, I got my first real job with annual salary and benefits. I was a bona fide editor at a bona fide publishing company.
When I was 23 I got pregnant and was the sickest and most exhausted I've ever been. I gave up a very good job opportunity at one of the big publishing houses in Manhattan to become a full-time stay-at-home mother because that's what I wanted to do more.
When I was 24 I became a mom, which is what I always wanted to be and do the most in life. When my sweet baby John was born, life was much more complete; it changed forever and for the better.
When I was 25 I moved to Connecticut and into our first house.
When I was 26 I successfully convinced my husband to let us buy a timeshare. Hello, travel opportunities!
When I was 27 we took John to the Cayman Islands. This was the first time I ever needed a passport (sadly). Paradise found.
When I was 28 I got pregnant again, endured oral surgery without the significant benefit of being unconscious during it for the safety of my baby (OUCH), and went to the Bahamas for my anniversary. I deserved it.
When I was 29 I gave birth to my second son Sam, which was the most difficult thing I've ever done. 18 hours of labor, over three hours of pushing...but the end result was a beautiful perfect baby boy who is an absolute delight every day of my life.
When I was 30...I moved to Iowa, away from the Northeast and from my family, friends, and the comfortable familiarity of life there. It's fitting that such a big new beginning happens at the start of a new decade.
In my thirties I'd like to have one or two more kids, return to work part-time as they grow older, maybe get a Master's degree, do a lot of traveling, get our own house on Cape Cod, read lots of books, grow into myself more, live joyfully, age well. I loved my twenties, but I'm looking forward to my thirties. I think they'll be even better. Bring 'em on!
